10 July 2010 - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Yuri Fedotov ( Russian Federation) as the new Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

He succeeds Antonio Maria Costa in that position and as Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV). The Secretary-General is grateful to Mr. Costa for the services he has rendered to the Organization and for his commitment in leading UNODC since 2002.

Mr. Fedotov brings a wealth of senior-level experience to his new function, being well-informed regarding issues on the UNODC agenda: rule of law; policy and trend analysis; prevention; treatment and reintegration; and alternative development. UNODC is a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime, mandated to assist Member States in their struggles against illicit drugs, crime and terrorism.

Currently the Russian Federation's Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Mr. Fedotov has previously served as Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, having joined the diplomatic service in 1971.

Mr. Fedotov is a Merited Member of the Diplomatic Service, and has also been awarded the Order of Friendship and the Certificate of Appreciation by the President of the Russian Federation.

Born in 1947, he graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.

He is married and has a son and a daughter.

Source: Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York